Caravan travel guides

Ray Solar Charger sticks to the inside of a windscreen

Fresh from the "Ideas so obvious why didn’t anyone think of it before?" department comes the Ray Solar Charger.

The Ray packs a USB port so that it can be connected to just about any mobile gadget, but the clever part is that the solar panel is mounted inside a suction cup.

Fresh from the "Ideas so obvious why didn’t anyone think of it before?" department comes the Ray Solar Charger.

The Ray packs a USB port so that it can be connected to just about any mobile gadget, but the clever part is that the solar panel is mounted inside a suction cup.

So, rather than leave it resting on a flat surface like a dashboard to catch the sun’s rays, it can be stuck to the inside of the windscreen where it’s more likely to be in direct sunlight (although it does incorporate a tabletop stand, too).

The good news is that the Ray costs a mere $40 (around £26), but the bad news is that you can’t buy one yet.

The gadget is currently at the pre-production stage and the inventor is waiting for advance orders to hit 2,000 before he will commit to manufacturing. The price goes up by $10 (around £6.50) once manufacturing does begin though, so it’s worth getting in early if you like the look of it.